My Onee-chans Are In Love
by YukinaTakanashi
Summary: When Tagitsuhime returns from the netherworld, Kanami and Hiyori find themselves having to take on the arduous task of babysitting her. Because not only is she now a stable aradama goddess, but she's also in the form of a small child! And it seems even as a youngster, Tagitsuhime has something up her sleeve for her two new onee-chans.


**A/N:** **Ugh, right now I'm actually battling pneumonia. Just found out not too long ago. For the past few days, I've been feeling so sick—almost like a hangover. Not only does my throat hurt, so does my head and chest, whenever I cough. Even the times when I've been totally wasted, I haven't felt this unwell. My parents didn't want me on my computer cause I needed to recover for a bit, but now they've let me start writing again since I'm a little bit better. So, right now, I'm half-writing and half-hacking my lungs out...damn.**

**This is a request from one of my readers.**

* * *

**My Onee-chans Are In Love**

On the engawa of her humble traditional house, Hiyori sat in comfortable silence, taking a sip of tea from the cup she held tightly in her hands. The hot liquid made its way down her throat, before spreading warmth throughout her body.

Winter had come once again to Japan and already the whole country could feel it. From the bustling metropolis cities to the quiet rural areas, several feet of snow covered the land with a soft white blanket. Naturally, this meant everyone bundling themselves up in their thickest clothing and trying to stay warm. Even the sightings of aradama were few due to the frigid temperature; not that anyone was complaining, especially Kaoru.

_'Well, we all deserve a break from the chaos,'_ Hiyori thought, as she got up to head back into the house.

Maybe she spoke too soon for right after she thought this, there in front of her was the last individual she expected to see. A small child who only came up to her waist was staring up at her with large round eyes. But it was those eyes that pulled Hiyori up short—those glowing orange eyes. With an exclamation of both surprise and rage, the Heijou Toji quickly unsheathed Kogarasumaru, dropping her teacup. It shattered into several shards upon impact with the hard ground, breaking the silence.

"Tagitsuhime!" Hiyori growled.

The aradama princess put on a pouting face and used the tip of her finger to lower Kogarasumaru. "You shouldn't shove weapons in children's faces, _Hiyori-onee-chan_."

A vein popped on Hiyori's forehead at Tagitsuhime's form of address to her. She mustn't lose her cool; the aradama princess was just testing her patience.

"I don't know how you got out of the netherworld," Hiyori said, in a slowly forced tone, "but I'm giving you a one-way ticket back."

"Pipe down, hothead. You judge too harshly for I come in peace," Tagitsuhime said, with a coy smile.

Dramatically, she bowed and said with a not-so apologetic tone, "As a now stable aradama goddess, I am reformed. With the body and innocence of a child, I have come to start anew. So, won't you take care of me like any other kind onee-chan, hm?"

The ebony-haired beauty didn't even need to look at the smug expression on Tagitsuhime's face to make her decision. The grudge she brewed in her heart for several years was enough fuel to ignite the fire of hatred within her.

"Fat chance. You seriously think I'd believe you?" Hiyori spat. "You killed my mother and Fujiwara Minato, along with countless others; possessed Origami Yukari for twenty-years; tried to destroy the world twice; and—"

"Alright, alright. Point taken," the aradama princess yawned. "You're not seriously thinking of killing me—a poor innocent child—are you, Hiyori-onee-chan?"

The Heijou Toji had to bite her tongue to stop from cursing out loud, a bad habit she unsuccessfully tried to stop ages ago after her mother heard her once. Hiiragi Kagari had been very near to washing her daughter's mouth out with soap that time. Of course, Hiyori had said meaner things before, but swearing was out of the question for Hiiragi Kagari.

Swallowing so as to not yell every swear word she knew, Hiyori said, "If you think I'm not serious, then by all means, just call me that again!"

It had to be admitted that Tagitsuhime looked rather disappointed. "You mean you won't look after me?"

Seeing that the aradama princess refused to budge, Hiyori said, "If you wanted to be babied, you've come to the wrong place."

With a petulant sniff, Tagitsuhime tossed her head. "Fine!"

Before the raven-haired Toji could even raise Kogarasumaru again, Tagitsuhime left as quickly as she appeared, disappearing into the snow. The realization that she just let her arch-nemesis escape made Hiyori throw down her okatana with a yell loud enough to echo in the chilly air.

"TAGITSUHIME!"

* * *

With a look of concern, Kanami watched Hiyori pick herself up from the ground. An expression of annoyance was on the Heijou Toji's face as she rubbed where Kanami had just stabbed her.

"I-I'm sorry, Hiyori-chan," Kanami apologized, frantically. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Hiyori said.

The Heijou Toji's words did not match up with the smouldering look on her face. The last time Hiyori looked so peeved was when Kaoru suggested stuffing tissues underneath her bra to enlarge her "eternally-flat chest".

Something was definitely not right; Kanami could sense it during their spar. Her friend's attacks were not as uniform and her concentration was anything but controlled. Hiyori was generally a good sport and Kanami knew that she wouldn't get sulky over simply losing a match. No, this had to be something else. Whatever was on Hiyori's mind had most likely been bugging her even before their spar. Sighing, Kanami returned Chidori to her sheath.

"Hiyori-chan, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm said I'm fine, Kanami."

Her stubborn response of evasiveness made Kanami give a scowl of her own. She rarely ever got frustrated with her friends, but Hiyori closing herself off again struck a nerve in the Minoseki Toji. Ignoring her on their first encounter; focusing only on her own grudge; forgetting their promise when she became an evil god...Hiyori never once looked her way in those moments. And some abnormally sadistic side of Kanami wanted to punish Hiyori for not trusting her.

_'What am I thinking?'_ the Minoseki Toji internally scolded herself.

Pushing the dark twisted thoughts out of her mind, she reluctantly said, "Well, I won't push you. When you're ready to tell me, just know that I'm always here for you, Hiyori-chan. Okay?"

Heat rose up to the Heijou Toji's cheeks as she nodded her head. Hiyori's look of embarrassment made Kanami give a blush of her own and she turned the other way.

_'Too cute. Too cute. Too cute. Too cute!'_

The awkward tension between them was broken once both of their phones started ringing with a new notification.

"It's Yukari-sama. She says she wants to meet us at the bureau," Kanami said, glancing at Hiyori in the hopes for some answers.

However, Hiyori looked just as confused as her and gave none. Still, a personal message from Origami Yukari herself was very rare. Normally, communicating orders and requests to Tojis was the responsibility of Director Maniwa and the staff of the bureau. Whatever the head of the Origami family needed to tell the two of them must be for their ears only.

"Well, let's not keep her then," Hiyori said.

Maki and Suzuka were waiting patiently at the entrance when they arrived. However, Kanami noted how both of them shared equal looks of uncertainty and slight irritation.

"This way, you two," Maki ordered.

Following the Elite Guards into the bureau, Kanami and Hiyori were led through a maze of hallways and staircases unknown to both of them. Wherever they were being taken to was definitely a place of utmost secrecy. But, at last, they reached a heavy metal door, leading to a windowless room underneath the bureau. Inside was a round table with seven chairs. Three were occupied—two with Yukari and her younger sister, Akane. However, it was the other seated member that made Kanami and Hiyori slightly jump back.

"What the hell is _she_ doing here?!" Hiyori demanded, pointing a finger at Tagitsuhime.

If Maki hadn't grabbed her uniform collar, Hiyori would've leaped over the table and started wrestling the aradama princess right away. When the orange-haired Elite Guard spoke, her voice was curt with a dangerous edge to it.

"Watch it, Juujou, or you'll give yourself a nosebleed."

"Have you all gone insane? How can you be protecting her when—"

"Tagitsuhime has recently been found and contained by the Special Sword Administration Bureau. Tests have been done and so far, no traces of impurities have been detected within her," Akane explained in her usual calm tone.

Tagitsuhime had a smug look, but Maki said, "Don't start getting cocky. Just because I've saved your neck from being snapped doesn't mean we're now all buddy-buddy."

It was Yukari that brought back everyone's attention. "Everyone, please sit—before we all start getting at each other's throats."

Hiyori made sure to not take a seat that was beside the aradama princess. As usual, Yukari got straight to the point.

"Etou and Juujou, I called you both here to discuss the clear situation before us. Recently, Tagitsuhime has returned from the netherworld as a stable aradama goddess. At present, she has shown no signs of wishing to inflict her previous goals of destruction and has been fully cooperative. Now, of course, we cannot take her word right away for obvious reasons."

Leaning forward slightly, Yukari put her hands together and placed them on the table. "Which is why Akane and I have thought up a proposal. We have already debated this with the presidents of the Five Traditions and all came to a consensus. Since both of you have proven to be the strongest of our active Toji, we are asking to put Tagitsuhime on your watch and care."

At once, protestations from Hiyori broke forth. "You're kidding me. How can you expect me to trust that—_that thing_—when she literally stabbed me to death?!"

The upraised hand of Akane stopped the Heijou Toji before she could yell more. "Your indignation is understandable, Hiyori-san. However, this would be a good chance to once again revert to the ancient ways of humans and aradama coexisting together in peace."

"You mean if all goes well, there could be a possible future of no longer needing Tojis at all?" Kanami asked.

"Correct," Suzuka said. "What Yukari-sama and Akane-sama are trying to say is that this situation calls for a peaceful resolution, rather than taking aggressive stances. Noro has been proven to be a lonely existence after being split from tamahagane, and Tagitsuhime herself is a lonely being."

While Kanami appeared to look upon the proposal in favour, Hiyori was feeling a mixture of emotions. Disbelief, anger, and annoyance that not only was she being asked to practically babysit an aradama, but one in the form of a kid! And of the many things the Heijou Toji possessed, maternal instincts were not on the list.

Yukari frowned once she saw Hiyori cautiously put a hand on Kogarasumaru's handle. "Juujou Hiyori, Tagitsuhime is now a young child all alone in the world with no family and no friends. You yourself know what that feels like."

Ouch. That hurt. Everyone knew it once they saw the Heijou Toji's shoulders droop slightly.

As satisfied as a cat that caught a mouse, Tagitsuhime went up to the one individual who seemed wholeheartedly willing to give her a chance. Raising her hands, she put on her best puppy-dog face for Kanami.

"Carry me," she demanded.

The Minoseki Toji sweatdropped slightly before uncertainly lifting up the aradama princess onto her lap. A peal of giggles came from Tagitsuhime's mouth as she buried her face in between Kanami's chest—which instantly made Hiyori glare daggers at the back of her head.

Kanami said, "Aw, Hiyori-chan, you have to admit Tagitsuhime-chan looks kind of cute now, don't you think?"

Tagitsuhime-chan?! Cute?! The ebony-haired Toji bit her lip, trying to suppress her rage. However, all it took was for Tagitsuhime to turn around and teasingly stick her tongue out at her. That was the limit!

Before Hiyori could spring from her chair, Maki had already leapt out of hers. Throwing the Heijou Toji over her shoulder, the strong Elite Guard effortlessly picked her up like a rag doll. Despite Hiyori thrashing about and beating Maki's back with her fists, the orange-haired Toji carried her to a closet in the room and locked her in.

"Time out, Juujou."

Ignoring how foul-mouthed Hiyori was, as she screamed obscenities and banged repeatedly on the door, Yukari sighed, "Can I trust Tagitsuhime into your care, Etou Kanami? I know this is a lot to take in and ask of you, but—"

"Don't worry, Yukari-sama," Kanami interrupted. "If it brings us towards a brighter future, I'm more than willing to help. I'm sure Mother would've done the same too if she were still here."

Then, awkwardly staring at the closet door, she added, "I'll try to convince Hiyori-chan too. We're having a party at Mai-chan's house for Christmas with all our other friends. So, it might be a good opportunity for everyone to make friends with Tagitsuhime-chan."

Yukari and Akane looked as though a great weight had been lifted off of their shoulders. However, they looked at the small child in Kanami's lap with a pointed look.

"We trust that you also are as good as your word, Tagitsuhime," Yukari said. "Should any deviance from our agreement be reported, we shall likewise withdraw our declaration of peace and respond with action. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, Yukari-oba-chan."

Yukari very nearly had to be locked in the closet as well.

* * *

Watching over Tagitsuhime proved to be not as challenging as Kanami expected. The aradama princess was generally well-behaved and willing to obey. Just like the little princess she was, Tagitsuhime had the gracious airs and quaint civility uncommon for a child of her age. So, Kanami was mostly untroubled by her. They got on well from the very start doing what most girls would do. Shopping for clothes, braiding each other's hair, and giggling over random stuff. In other words, Tagitsuhime in some ways became the little sister Kanami always wanted to have.

It was Hiyori that Tagitsuhime gave the most trouble. To the Heijou Toji, the aradama princess was a different person entirely. Whereas she acted as an angel to Kanami, to Hiyori she was a little devil. Because ever since the raven-haired beauty outright shunned her, there had been an invisible wall between the two of them. If Hiyori had a grudge against her, what was to stop Tagitsuhime from having one too? So, the aradama princess made it her secret mission to annoy and tease the Heijou Toji as much as possible.

Her mischief was mainly in the form of small pranks at first. Yanking the rug out from underneath Hiyori's feet, putting glue on her toothbrush, tracking mud into Hiyori's house when she just cleaned it...there was no end to Tagitsuhime's childish tyranny. Her favourite prank occurred when Kanami and Hiyori had dinner together once. After bringing out the food to the table, Hiyori sat down in her respective seat, not realizing that prior to this, Tagitsuhime had put a whoopee cushion on it. Her expression was _priceless_.

"Now you listen here, you little rug rat! One of these days I swear, when Kanami isn't looking, I'll give you a licking!" Hiyori swore once.

When, at last, Christmas arrived, Kanami and Hiyori took Tagitsuhime with them to Mai's house. Wrapped up in her new winter clothes, the aradama princess held the Minoseki Toji's hand, skipping all the way with a large toothy grin. Hiyori, who had refused to take Tagitsuhime's other hand, sullenly walked behind them at a distance.

Shibata, the Yanase family butler, opened the door for them. "Welcome, Etou-san and Juujou-san. Mai-ojou-sama and the others are in the drawing-room taking tea."

He resisted the urge to peer over his glasses at the white-haired figure holding onto Kanami's hand and led the three individuals to where their friends were waiting. Pleasant strains of music floated from the drawing-room and as they entered, it was then that they saw Mai playing at the pianoforte. Sayaka and Ellen were politely listening at the tea table. Kaoru, on the other hand, was conked out on the couch next to the fireplace with Nene—no surprise there.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Kanami greeted, cheerfully.

"Kanamin, Hiyoyon!"

Hugs and greetings were exchanged at once until everyone turned to the elephant in the room. They already knew that Tagitsuhime had been entrusted into the care of their two friends, but nobody could fully believe it until now. It was hard to imagine such a cute and innocent-looking kid was once a fierce and powerful goddess, who tried to destroy them all. To Hiyori's satisfaction, only Kaoru seemed unconvinced and skeptical.

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Tagitsu-chan," Mai said, at last. "We're just about to exchange presents. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Boxes of all sizes were neatly heaped into a pile underneath a large fir tree, decorated with expensive and highly-breakable ornaments. Because nobody had known exactly what to give Tagitsuhime, the aradama princess discovered that most of her presents were things given to young children of her age. Dolls with lacy dresses, books with beautiful pictures in them, a few board games, and the most prized one of all—an expensive ballerina music box from Mai. Her cheeks becoming quite fat from smiling, Tagitsuhime gave Hiyori another self-satisfied look, pleased that her pile of presents was far larger than the Heijou Toji's.

"Relax, Pancake-Chest," Kaoru said, leaning over towards Hiyori. "If you show the little tyke that you're irritated, you'll only encourage her."

At that moment, Shibata brought in a silver tray with cups of peppermint hot chocolate, much to Hiyori's delight and Kaoru's disgust. While all the girls sat at the table, Tagitsuhime opted to curl up by the hearth and stare into the fireplace. Nene, who was already sleeping near it, let out a soft "ne..." of annoyance at having to share his comfy spot.

"Hiyori-onee-chan had such a weird face when she gave Kanami-onee-chan her present," Tagitsuhime muttered, quietly.

"Ne?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. I've always known those two were little lovebirds."

"Ne..."

"Of course. I've seen every memory of Hiyori-onee-chan when I was once absorbed by her. Amazing how such a grouchy shrew like her can be so scared of confessing," Tagitsuhime replied, taking a sip of her peppermint hot chocolate.

Suddenly, a mischievous smile curled up her face from ear to ear. "I just had a great idea..."

The Mashiko guardian beast's tail twitched, sensing something was up. "Nene?"

* * *

As the last streams of sunlight disappeared, Shibata performed his regular routine of duties, preparing for the night. Locking every door and window; laying the table ready for tomorrow's breakfast; extinguishing the lights; polishing the silver... He was just about to lock up the cellar where all the alcohol was kept when he stopped.

"Strange. I could've sworn there was another bottle of chartreuse in storage," he muttered. "I hope Mai-ojou-sama hadn't snuck one out just because her family is away."

Closing the door, he went down the hallway towards the drawing room so as to draw the drapes. What he found were seven girls and one pet aradama fast asleep, tuckered out from the day's excitement. Slouched in chairs, lying on the couch, and spread-eagled on the floor. Kaoru even had a snot bubble blowing out of her nose. Smiling with amusement, the butler quietly crossed the room and closed the velvet curtains, before coaxing down the blaze in the fireplace. Unbeknownst to Shibata after he left the room, Tagitsuhime and Nene both opened their eyes.

"Alright, quickly now," the aradama princess whispered.

"Ne..."

"What do you mean you don't think this'll work?" Tagitsuhime snorted.

Kaoru's pet stood on his hind legs, before crossing his other two furry limbs with a raised eyebrow. "Nene!"

"Okay, maybe drugging their hot chocolate was a bit rash. But this will be so totally worth it! Trust me."

Nene only let out an exasperated "ne..." while shaking his head. With his immense strength, he dragged a groggy Hiyori by the leg out the door. Tagitsuhime led the way, carrying Kanami who was sleeping just as peacefully. Although this was her first time at the Yanase residence, the aradama princess had enough knowledge about humans to know where the bedrooms were located in their houses. Any sound, whether it was the creak of a floorboard or a slight snore from Kanami, would make both Tagitsuhime and Nene halt in their tracks, their hearts pounding. When they finally reached one of the spare bedrooms, they set the stage.

"Perfect," the aradama princess grinned. "Once they wake up, Hiyori-onee-chan will be sorry she ever called me a little rug rat."

"Ne?"

"I'm also doing them a favour. Honestly, they're so lovey-dovey you'd think they'd start eating each other's faces at any moment," Tagitsuhime said with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, isn't this what human couples normally do?"

Nene just shook his head and stuck his tongue out.

* * *

The first thing Hiyori noticed when she woke up was how much her head hurt, as though a ton of coal that just been dropped on it. The next thing was that she felt unusually feverish and hot on her right side, as though something just as warm was right beside her. When she opened her eyes, she immediately hissed at how painful the light streaming from the windows was. Just when did she fall asleep and for how long?

Trying to ignore her blurred vision and dizziness, Hiyori let out a groan and raised her arm to check her watch. The hands read twenty-five minutes to ten.

Her eyes widened as she cursed, "Shit! I'm late for school!"

A groggy response came from underneath the blankets beside her. "It's Saturday, Hiyori-chan..."

"Oh." Eyes still dim with sleep, Hiyori let her body relax and snuggled back under the soft eiderdown duvets.

Then it hit her.

"Kanami?!"

"Huh? Wait...Hiyori-chan?!"

The two Tojis sat straight up in disbelief, the blankets that covered them falling slightly to the floor. Their eyes wide with shock, they yelled in unison the same question both of them had.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN BED WITH ME?!"

Kanami looked at Hiyori's aghast face, then her cheeks became as red as a tomato when her eyes fell lower down.

She meeped, "H-Hiyori-chan?"

Turning her head quickly to the side, the Minoseki Toji pulled the blankets closer to her own body, before adding, "Clothes."

The Heijou Toji turned as bright red as Kanami, once she realized their exposed predicament, and she likewise hid her body with the white sheets. Just what happened last night?! How did both of them end up literally stark-naked in the same bed, and more importantly—just what did the two of them do?!

"D-Did we...?" Kanami stammered. "W-We couldn't p-possibly have—"

Hiyori didn't even want to think about it. Desperately, she tried to backtrack everything that happened before she found herself sleeping next to Kanami. The last thing she remembered was twisting Kaoru like a pretzel after the pink-haired loli gave her a breast enlargement bra as a Christmas present. Then after that, she downed the last few drops of her hot chocolate. Hiyori's burgundy eyes narrowed into a suspicious glare. That hot chocolate which tasted abnormally sweeter than she remembered...

Her rage and humiliation building, the ebony-haired Toji bit down on her lip so hard that it bled. Just a few seconds later, a wrathful yell loud enough to shake the house was heard.

**"TAGITSUHIME!"**

* * *

Of course, everyone in the Yanase residence had been abruptly woken up after Hiyori went berserk. Nobody was exactly thrilled about being roused from sleeping in on a long weekend. Which was why Tagitsuhime found herself sitting in front of a group of tired grumpy girls.

Kanami sighed while rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "We know you meant well, Tagitsuhime-chan, but—"

"Meant well, my foot!" Hiyori snapped.

Before she could rip the aradama princess apart, Sayaka and Ellen quickly caught hold of her arms and pinned them down. Mai, who helped raise and protect two little sisters, decided to take charge.

"All of you, go have breakfast. I'll talk with Tagitsu-chan."

When the Yanase heiress was left alone with the aradama princess, she sat comfortably next to her by the hearth with her legs tucked to the side. The two didn't talk at first, simply staring at the red coal fire. They could hear the snowy wind gusting against the windowpanes outside, howling with a shuddering roar. In such wild weather, Tagitsuhime knew that she wouldn't be able to build a snowman with Ellen as planned.

At last, Mai asked, "Mind telling me what happened?"

There was no trace of hostility or reproach in her tone. And somehow that made Tagitsuhime boldly tell the whole thing without any guilt or embarrassment. When she finished, Mai let out a sigh.

Tucking her dressing gown tighter around her, Mai said, "It was thoughtful of you to want to help Kanami-chan and Hiyori-chan grow closer together. However, what is unacceptable is the way you've approached it, do you understand?"

Whether Kanami and Hiyori wanted to start a relationship was their own choice and theirs alone. If they wanted to, they would. If they didn't, they had the entitlement to remain as friends without being pressured in any way, physically or verbally. How would she like it if someone stripped her down and forced her to sleep with another? Essentially, she just did the same thing to Kanami and Hiyori. Love was a process that lasted for different lengths, depending on the two people involved. And it wouldn't immediately flourish after just one night of sleeping in the same bed together. Furthermore, stealing liqueur to drug other people was an absolute no-no.

"So, tell me, Tagitsu-chan, what could you have done instead?" Mai asked, patiently.

Tagitsuhime rolled her eyes. "Well, definitely not what I just did last night."

Then, with a more thoughtful expression, she stared into the fireplace again. "But maybe instead of keeping Kanami-onee-chan all to myself, I could've let her spend more time with Hiyori-onee-chan. To tell the truth, I could see that Hiyori-onee-chan was jealous that I had all the attention. And I liked annoying her about it."

She added, "I believed my main reason for doing what I did last night was because I wanted to get back at her in some ways. I mean she clearly doesn't want me as family or even a friend. But, now that I think about it, deep down inside I just wanted her to notice me. Like if my plan really did work, she would be happy that I brought them together."

Mai smiled, before pulling a comb out of her dressing gown pocket. With gentle hands, she untangled the knots in Tagitsuhime's white hair.

"I understand how you feel, Tagitsu-chan. I also felt jealousy once when Kanami-chan began hanging out with Hiyori-chan constantly and showing her more affection," the purple-haired Toji said. "But, in my heart, I know that Kanami-chan still cares for me very much. I'm sure that Hiyori-chan will come to grow fond of you too. Be patient."

She planted a quick kiss on the aradama princess's forehead, before taking her white hand. "Come on, let's eat."

"Mai-onee-chan?"

"Hm?"

When Tagitsuhime spoke, a sudden light seemed to flicker in her orange eyes. "Let's make a romantic dinner for Kanami-onee-chan and Hiyori-onee-chan someday!"

Mai gave a smile of her own. "Of course."

* * *

"Everyone, the snowstorm's over," Ellen called, removing her face from the window. "Tagitsu-pon, Saaya, let's play!"

Dressed warmly, everyone hurried outside except for Kaoru and Nene, who wanted to sleep more in their toasty beds instead of being in the frigid cold. Within minutes, a fat snowman began to take shape outside of the Yanase front yard, along with several snow angels. However, at a slight distance from the romping activities were Kanami and Hiyori, taking a private walk on the grounds.

"Hiyori-chan, about what happened...I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for? It's Tagitsuhime who decided to play as wingman," Hiyori snorted.

Kanami said, "But you still must think of me as disgusting. I mean, I bet you'd never even wanted to sleep with me, let alone be with me in that way."

Hiyori was walking ahead of her, so Kanami couldn't see the raven-haired beauty's face. However, the way how the Heijou Toji didn't respond made Kanami stop abruptly.

"H-Hiyori-chan?"

"...hate it."

"What?"

"I didn't hate it," Hiyori said, more loudly, turning around.

The two stared at each other, trying to sense the emotions behind each other's eyes. Although Hiyori's expression was her usual stoic frown, deep down she was trying to hold back the nauseating feeling in her gut. Kanami, on the other hand, didn't even realize she had her mouth open wide.

"Y-You didn't?"

The Heijou Toji blushed awkwardly, turning on her heel quickly and resumed walking. "I didn't."

"O-Oh," Kanami said as she strode after her friend.

An uncomfortable silence followed. "Because, well...you see—I didn't hate it either."

Neither of them said anything after that, but unbeknownst to Kanami, Hiyori's mouth curved upwards into a small smile. She held out her hand to the Minoseki Toji.

"Shall we walk back together?"

Kanami gave an equal look of happiness. "Together."

* * *

**A/N: I got inspired to write this certain fanfic after finding a picture of Kanami and Hiyori holding hands with a young Tagitsuhime (I used the pic for this fanfic's cover page). **

**FYI, chartreuse is a sweet-type of liqueur and is VERY alcoholic—like it doesn't even take a lot to get you knocked out. I know because I drank some once in Paris (where it's apparently very popular and called Green Chaud). It was very delicious though and made the hot chocolate taste like peppermint. Maybe that's why Kanami, Hiyori, and their friends didn't suspect anything. Lol.**


End file.
